The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-02-18
TOM PERKINS WIFE,

Now, l wouldn't stand it Mrs.
Perkins, I'd do one thing or another.
I'd make him stop it, or I'd leave him
and get a divorce"
Perhaps you wouldn't after all.
You know Mrs. Allen is an old friend
OF Mr.. Perkins, and he likes to go
there because she is good company"
These words were uttered with quiv-
ering lips and tears gathering in her
hollow eyes, by a slight pale-faced
young m in answer to the
above vehement speech, made by
one OF her neighbOrs, whose
friendllness, we'll meant enough
though it might have been, had
prompted her to bring to the young
wife a bit OF unpleasant gossip concern
ing the latter's husband.
"She is a heartless %Coquette, she
replied now, "that's what she is, and
always was, ever when her husband
lived. He vas a good, honest man,
but she worried the life out OF him by
the carrying on as she did. | knew
Sadie Allen when she was a school
girl, and / never thought much Of her
at any time, and | don't want any
thing to do with her now"
The young woman replied to this
with tears only.
81 declare" the other went on by
way OF ~consoling, II don't see what
Nh. Perkins can be thinking about.
Here he has a nice wife and two chill
dren, as beautiful as one wants to see,
and to think that -. Well, l
wouldn't stand it, that's ALL"
After her visitor had left, Mrs. Per
kins tottered more than she walked to
the crib where her eight-months-Old
baby boy lay sleeping soundly, all I'm
conscious of the sin and sorrow of
the world into which he had 30 lately
entered. Sinking into a chair beside
the little bed, she burst into such a
passion of tears as caused her little
girl, sitting on the floor, to drop her
playthings and come to her knee.
With q look OF surprise in her wide
open eyes, she stared at her mother.
EAR 'ou sick, mamma" she finally
asked.
The mother bent down, and taking
the child up into her arms, and press
ed it to her heart. "No, darling, / am
net sick, but / wish Mamie, and baby,
and mama were dead, andin heaven"
she replied, and her tears flowed
afresh.
The little one, half frightened, nest
led close to that sheltering bosom and
soon fell asleep.
And there, with no other sound save
the soft breathing Of her infants to
break the stiffness, theyoung woman's
thoughts led her back to the time
WheE she was pretty Emma Bennett,
living with her uncle on a farm not
many miles distant. Orphaned young,
she had known no other home but
ms. Well she remembered how, on
her wedding day, as she was
momentariiy expecting him with
whom she was ready to 90
hand in hand through life,
the dear old man had come and placed
his hard, brown hand on her blonde
head. Emma, my girl," he had said,
s'you are my brothers only child,
God knows Hove you as my own. /
hope you will be happy with Tom Per
kins. have known him since his
birth, and I always thought him a
good, honest boy. But, somehow,
since he has lived in town, he seems
changed to me. / hope it is not for the
worse" he added, as he brushed a
tear from his eye.
And how cheerfully had she
looked up INTO his face, and replied,
sHEhy, uncle, are you not rid Of your
suspicious yet? Why, only a little
" bile age you thought Tom had for
gotten me, and yet he had been true
to me all the time, and came to claim
me when you least expected it. Why,
then, do you mistrust him now?"
It was well for her that she did not
know then, or even now, that his
claiming her finally was on account Of
the little inheritance left her by her
father, and carefully kept Cor her by
her uncle, which would come handy in
paying The several uncomfortable
1ebts which he had contracted. 1t
Vas also we'll that she did not know
chat, entirely unmindful OF his VOWS
"a her. he had fallen desperately in
love with q young lady IN town, who,
aware of the tie that bound him to